Gene's suggestions will play out differently depending on the type of company. For example, deploying iPads to a salesforce is meant to solve a different problem than deploying iPads to field engineers. However his main point remains: mobile technology is not productivity panacea.

I'm not denying how handy it is to have mobile tech, but I'm a power user. I have thrown away more smartphones and premium apps than most people will ever purchase. I sometimes try a dozen similar apps to see which one works best for me, and I only keep an app if it meets at least one of the following criteria:

It fits nicely into a workflow

It meets a legitimate need

It is zombie related (I am the BOSS of Zombie Highway)

iPads and phablets and smartphones, much like laptops and netbooks before them, are just toys if there's no design for how those devices will be used. I once worked for a business that deployed laptops as a surprise to their mobile staff. Well guess what? Not one of those staffers used their laptops for work applications. Most of those laptops were used like company supported family computers. Ever have to extract a jelly covered Spiderman disc that's stuck in a laptop DVD player? Sticky!

Anywaaaay…. Gene makes a ton of good points in his article, and I just have a few to add:

Don't ‘surprise' the staff with mobile technology. Some people don't want to carry more “stuff.” Some people are creatures of habit and won't use mobile tech anyway. And some will let their kids play with it and drive your tech support costs up. It's a lose-lose.

Get input on what type of devices will work best. Sometimes employees have great insight as to what they need. Even if they don't know what they need, invest some time in asking them about their work. Will an iPad with mobile apps make things better, or do they just need something like a VPN for their field laptop or home computer?

Don't underestimate the need for training and ongoing professional development. Showing someone how to use a device may not be enough. You may need to plan for instruction on how to integrate the device and applications into workflow and into the network.

Remember your policies. How will the devices be supported and protected? How much access will they have to the network? Don't forget to be proactive.

What are your experiences with this type of deployment? Have you had clients using these devices as toys? Let us know us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google +.

Christine Barry is Senior Chief Blogger and Social Media Manager at Barracuda. In this role, she helps bring Barracuda stories to life and facilitate communication between the public and Barracuda internal teams. Prior to joining Barracuda, Christine was a field engineer and project manager for K12 and SMB clients for over 15 years. She holds several technology credentials, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master of Business Administration. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

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About Christine Barry

Christine Barry is Senior Chief Blogger and Social Media Manager at Barracuda. In this role, she helps bring Barracuda stories to life and facilitate communication between the public and Barracuda internal teams. Prior to joining Barracuda, Christine was a field engineer and project manager for K12 and SMB clients for over 15 years. She holds several technology credentials, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master of Business Administration. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.